Apparently, some of you are nearly dying with anticipation with this story. Unfortunately, my sadistic, Dexter-like side may make you wait a bit longer. But hey, you won't know until you read. *Evil cackle* Muahahaha.
Thanks for all the support as always. I love you guys! You really keep me going!
Twitter - Objectivemiss
WARNING: There is a naughty/bad word in this chap; I think it fits in with the T rating. But, if anyone takes great offense, let me know and I'll change the wording.
B&B
Day 233
B&B
"Temperance," Dr. Ian Mikel, the dig's unofficial father figure had cornered Brennan at the feeding area. "You need to take a day off."
"I-I will, but only when we receive the virtual endocast of the skull and the CT scan so we can confirm that the brainpan is not that of a pygmy or a defect. Before even thinking of declaring Adi a new species, we have to clear the same questions that Homo floresiensis came under. This will only save us trouble later."
"Those won't be back in for weeks. You're taking today off and that's final," Mikel smiled warmly.
"I thought I was the director of this operation, and we only have a few months left here at the site. It would be best if we finished the vast majority of work while we are here and able to work with our collective knowledge."
"Not until you get back from your vacation. Now pack a bag for hiking, Keith is waiting for you outside. Might want to throw some snacks in your bag too…oh, and a camera. You'll want that."
That was how the day before had gone. Now she was at the base of Gunung Api; the active volcano of the Banda Islands. The view was breathtaking really. The green foliage of dense Bandanese jungle ended abruptly to the blue green sea of the tropical ocean. All that beauty, simply placed in front for one to enjoy and absorb.
But she wasn't alone; no, as Mikel had said, Keith had come along. After a fully morning of hiking, the two sat down on a bluff to enjoy the weather.
Suddenly hungry, Brennan pulled a Cliff Bar out from her bag as she dropped gracefully to the rocky outcrop. She looked down at the rock she sat on; it was obviously volcanic. She had no illusions about her knowledge of geology (she preferred to leave it to the experts; also known as Hodgins), but she was sure it was ignimbrite. It was fine grained; she could see the vesicular texture that allowed it to float in water.
"What 'cha lookin' out Dr. B?" Merrill asked with his mouth full of some sort of cereal bar. She saw a few flakes of oatmeal fly from his stuffed face.
"The rocks."
"Meh, I'm more of a human person," he laughed. She heard him sigh, leaning back against the hill.
Booth always seemed like the outdoor type. Well, apart from being a Ranger, he often talked about taking Parker to do various outdoor activities. Apparently, he had taken the young man skiing at a place called "Liberty." She had skied once, but it wasn't for pure sport. It was to explore how the Nordic people and the Sami had skied. So technically, her experience wasn't of the modern variety. The earliest primitive carvings depicting skiing date from 5000 B.C.
"You know what?" Merrill's mouth was still stuffed with food of some sort. The kid was an eating machine. The group took turns helping to prepare meals; during her turn, she remembered how he stuffed down serving after serving.
"What?" Brennan indulged him in his rhetorical question.
"It's nice just to get some silence you know?"
"I understand quite well," she smiled.
"Hey," he looked up. "Would you mind if I vent a bit?"
"Why? Are you feeling unusually warm? Or is that some sort of joke in that we may be sitting very near a volcanic vent?"
"Nah, but that would have been funny. I mean, you know, blow off some steam. Some stress. Some anger. That sort of thing. I just need an ear."
"I am able to listen."
Merrill looked down again, tossing a rock. "Does…Daisy ever get on your nerves?"
Daisy. Angela assumed that with their close quarter contact that she and Daisy would grow closer. Angela seemed almost worried that the young and peppy anthropologist would take her place as "best girlfriend." Apparently, Booth was her best friend, not Angela. She really never did get why people felt the need to rank friends in a hierarchy. It was like some sort of power structure.
"Occasionally," Brennan tried to look nonchalant at his question. Ms. Wick did have the ability to irritate her; but that didn't stop her from being a fine anthropologist. She had potential.
"I-I was just…curious," he looked down sharply.
They sat in silence for a while, just content to listen to the wind whistling through the trees. It was a tropical breeze; warm and benign in nature. It was like the smell of fresh apple pie, wafting from the oven. Or, that's how she imagined that Booth must smell it.
"Come work for me," she said suddenly.
"W-what?" he looked fazed.
"I mean as an intern," Brennan further clarified. "You are a very promising anthropologist. You would be able to work at the Jeffersonian, a state of the art facility, and work with me. Washington D.C. is a wonderful metropolis. The work would be challenging and enjoyable. I think it would give you room to grow and write your doctoral thesis."
"Dr. B…that's a lot to take in…" Merrill sat up.
"I don't expect a response right now, but sooner is better than later when you consider the living arrangements you would have to make as well as the calls I would have to make to be sure that we can ensure that the intern position would be there for you."
He smiled. It wasn't a full grin; but rather, a sadder expression. He was considering her offer, and deeply at that. Very deeply. "I'm studying for my doctorate in biological anthropology, not forensic anthropology. You're offer is…amazing. I-I don't know anyone could turn it down. B-But I just don't know how well it fits with what I want to do."
"I see…" Brennan turned her eyes back to the beautiful skyline.
"Hey now! Don't be like that. It's just…forensic anthropology is narrow in scope…biological looks at us all."
It was understandable that he didn't want to work at the Jeffersonian. His logic was sound and very convincing. But she didn't give up so easily. Keith Merrill could be an excellent addition to her team. He was intelligent and smart; contrary to popular belief, the two are very different. He also cared greatly for his work; like her, he felt frisson at the prospect of a thrilling find.
"Why not just come for a few months?" she proposed.
It was a logical middle road to request. "Your knowledge of the human skeletal structure would undoubtedly increase dramatically because you will be dealing with them every day. Not to mention that your familiarity of H. Saipan will increase and help you identify the changes in ancient remains you will surely encounter."
Merrill smiled again; this time, it was genuine. Well, as far as she could tell. Booth said that interpreting facial expressions in order to deduce emotions wasn't her forte; this, she accepted as truth.
"Okay…" he grinned. "But only for a month or two. Heck, I don't even know where I'm going to live with my condo in LA…"
"If you have trouble finding somewhere, you could stay with me," it was extremely difficult for Brennan to offer this. She liked a quiet apartment to think and write with the upmost effectiveness. Perhaps she was opening up; perhaps her metaphorical heart was open.
"That would be great."
She pulled her bag on her lap, looking for a pocket to stash the Cliff Bar wrapper. Littering wasn't exactly helpful for the environment, especially one as pristine as the Banda Islands. Her hand brushed over the camera that Mikel had insisted she bring. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea.
"Keith," she whipped the small "point and shoot" digital camera from her bag. "Would you mind taking a picture of me?"
"Of course not," he took the camera from her hands, taking a few steps down the hill. "Do you want the volcano in the background?"
"That would be excellent," she said, smiling.
"Say cheese!"
Brennan never did get the expression, but she smiled larger anyway.
Merrill handed the camera back. "So...if I were to stay with you until I could find an apartment…don't you have someone living with you…?"
"Like whom?" she was genuinely confused.
"You know…that Booth guy."
She smiled despite herself; people always seemed to mistake them for romantic partners. "I believe I've said before that we are not romantically involved."
"I know you've said it before, but I just want to make sure I get a consistent answer," he winked, pushing his glasses farther up his nose.
"Well there is a difference between precision and accuracy," Brennan looked up.
"We can start hiking again and you can explain on the way," Merrill offered a hand to help her up.
It wasn't the sort of offer she usually accepted; but she was willing to make an exception for this. After all, they had another long day of hiking around the volcano. There was no reason not to save her strength. She reached up and grabbed his hand, allowing him to pull her to a standing position.
Just 132 more days of the beautiful landscape…
B&B
"This isn't the kind of thing you laugh at," Booth yelled in Private Tyson Huffman's face.
"Y-Yes Sergeant," the kid stammered.
The Sergeant Major took a step back from the reeling Private. "This here is not what you want to do during a serious anti-terrorist training exercise! That is not the time to make 'Jihad Jeep' jokes…or to take it as an opportunity to yell 'Allah Akbar' when you apprehend a terrorist. How fucking long will it take you to realize that this isn't a joke?"
"N-Not any longer Sergeant," Private Huffman said unconfidently.
"That wasn't the kind of question that you answer."
"S-Sorry…"
This wasn't some videogame; how hard was that to get? Yeah so the Army and plenty of Rangers coming in with plenty of potential, but they were immature and short-sighted. Where did the Army get these guys anyway? Could he have really been like this when he joined? Were he and his buddies really that rowdy? Heck, who was he kidding; he was getting old.
"Earth to Boss," Herring waved a hand in front of his face. "You there?"
"Y-Yeah," he regained his mental footing. "Where else would I be?" he swatted down the Master Sergeant's hand.
"Whoa there, take it easy Boss," he maneuvered so he could look into the eyes of his superior. "Are you dehydrated or somethin'?"
"No, I'm fine."
"No man, I don't think you are."
"I'm fine!" Booth yelled a bit too loudly.
"You aren't," Herring motioned to two medics standing by. "I'm gonna make sure you get checked out. What do you want me do with these guys in the meantime?"
"I'm not going with those medics…" he looked ever his shoulder, seeing the two corpsmen approach.
"Look man, these guys will use force if necessary. You know it from your Ranger days; those medics can be the toughest guys. Besides, you're too damn selfless. You spend too much time worryin' about these guys you don't take care of yourself. Heck, I saw you give that one guy the last of your canteen."
"True…" Booth wracked his brains to think of something suitable for his trainees to do. "Take them to the video room...make them watch that stupid two-hour thing about taking training seriously."
"You got it," Herring set off to the group.
"Would you come with us Sergeant Major," the taller of the two medics asked.
Booth nodded, setting off with the two to the medical pavilion. Too selfless? Okay, so he had neglected himself a bit, but keeping his trainees in good shape was paramount. After all, they were the ones that would be doing the fighting, not him. He was just a geezer veteran, helping these guys to finish what he started. Heck, he never thought he would end up back in the Gulf. He never wanted to after all the crap he had to wade through when he was a Ranger. Not something he would wish on anyone…at least, not anyone unless they were really bad to the bone…or Bones for that matter.
"We'll drop you off at the check in desk," the shorter medic said. "They'll take care of you from there. Okay?"
He stumbled a bit through the double doors; maybe he was dehydrated. The medics were instantly at his sides, swinging his arms over a shoulder each to support his limping walk into the air conditioned facility.
"Hey is this guy okay?" a woman in scrubs asked.
"Dehydration," the medics handed Booth's care over to the staff.
"No problem, we'll take it from here," the nurse had a wheel chair brought up.
"No. No wheel chair," he tried to wave the nurse off.
"Sergeant Major, I'm Nurse Sherri Langley. I know all you guys think you're real tough and I'm sure you are, but you need to sit down so we can get you back out there. Okay sweetie?" she practically forced him into the rolling chair.
The only other person that called him "sweetie" was Angela. Wow, how long had it been since he thought about her. Well…he did talk to her while she was visiting Bones, but she was Bones' friend; not his.
"Whatcha got here?" Booth felt a doctor lean over his shoulder as they wheeled him through the sterile halls. Low and behold, it was Dr. Major Marcus Moore.
His initials were M&M…like the candy!
"It's my buddy Boothie!" he laughed. "I'll take him from here Sherri."
"You sure?"
"Positive. I've gotten no word on any trauma coming in. I've got too much time."
"Wait, so this is the grunt you've been chillin' with?" Nurse Langley said amusedly.
"The one and only hun," he winked, wheeling Booth off to a bed. "Get out of the chair and move to the bed."
"So much for bedside manner…" Booth grumbled, moving heavily.
"Dehydration eh? I've got just the thing," the Major pulled out a water bottle. "Drink."
"That's it?" he took the water bottle, screwing the cap off with ease.
"Well I'm gonna take your vitals…if your blood pressure is fine and you don't have a fever or anything like that, that's it. I could do the rehydrating intravenously though…"
"No way doc," he chugged the water.
"Have you been sweating at all?"
"Yeah, I'm drenched."
"Thristy?"
"Honestly, not too much," Booth crushed the bottle, tossing it to the trash can. It bounced off the rim, landing on the floor.
Moore laughed, "You never seemed like the three-pointer sort of guy." He placed another water bottle on the table. "Drink," he ordered again.
"Yes sir."
"Hey, how far do you live from Baltimore?" Moore suddenly asked, scribbling a few things down on a chart.
"Like an hour," Booth said between gulps. "Why?"
"Because, even though I'm interviewing, I need a place to live. Do you know of a decent hotels or people that rent out apartments? Baltimore is a bit rough for my taste."
He crushed the second bottle; this time, it landed smack into the can. "Booya," he grinned. "Man, you can just live at my place for a bit."
"But I'll be home before you…"
"I keep a spare key around."
"Let me guess, under a false rock."
Was he really that predictable? Okay, so Bones had seen through his fake rock, but a guy that had never even been to his home? He knew that he had to up his creativity in hiding places, and fast. But he did give that key to Cam in case anything happened during his deployment; Moore could always get Cam to set him up.
"No way, that would be stupid. But seriously," he looked into the surgeon's eyes, "I would be insulted if you didn't crash at my place."
"Well that's the last thing I want to do," the doctor slammed another water bottle on the table. "Drink," he ordered for the third time.
"Seriously?"
"Yes 'seriously' Sergeant Major," Moore mocked, leaning nonchalantly against the end of his bed. "For your weight, the high altitude, the hot and dry climate…you should drink 116 ounces of water a day, or 3.5 liters if you prefer. Of course, if you're pregnant that would affect how much you would need to drink-"
"Not pregnant…that ain't even possible."
"Good to know you know your basic anatomy. Not bad…for a grunt," the surgeon joked.
"I'm not that dumb."
"Hey doc," a fully scrubbed nurse walked over to his bed. "Another medical truck is on its way from Kandahar providence. According to the preliminary reports, we've got a Humvee blown to smithereens by a roadside bomb. The medics say that we might need to amputate. They'll be here in 30 minutes, we need you prepped and ready to go."
"Alrighty," Moore said. "I'll be there in a minute." He turned back to Booth. "You," he pointed. "Drink more water; I love to see you, but not in here." He walked away, grabbing another nurse by the arm. "Make sure that he drinks another liter of water. And keep him overnight. Don't let him talk you out of it."
The nurse nodded, walking over to Booth. "You heard the boss, drink all of the water and you're here overnight." She pulled out a hospital gown and dropped it on his lap. "I'll draw the curtains so you can change."
"But I don't want to-"
"Hey, I've got some other guys to take care of. Just change. It's late anyway, just try to fall asleep, okay tough guy?"
"Wait-" Booth called after her. "Do you think you could get me a few puddings?"
"That I can do," she smiled.
Just 132 more days of forced hospital stays…
B&B
Sorry this took so long! I've been really busy, but I will have a ton of time to write next week. The more reviews, the faster I write… ;) . You know you want to.
Twitter - Objectivemiss